2022 Wits Mathematics Competition

Final Round
Senior Secondary

Instructions

This paper is 90 minutes long and consists of ten single answer questions (to be answered in
the below table) and two proofs (to be answered on the pages they’re written on).
If needed, additional sheets of blank paper may be used to finish your solutions.
Calculators may NOT be used. A ruler and compass may be used but all other geomet-
ric aids are NOT allowed. A translation aid (such as a dictionary) from English to another
language is allowed.

Questions 1 – 3 are each worth 4 marks.

Questions 4 – 7 are each worth 5 marks.
Questions 8 – 10 are each worth 6 marks.
Questions 11 – 12 are each worth 10 marks.
The total number of marks available is 70.

”It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.” - Alfred North
Whitehead
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Question Answer
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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A. 4 point questions
1. ABCD and DEF G are squares, CE = 17cm and the shaded region ABCGF E is
161cm2 . What is the perimeter of the shaded region?

A B

E
F

D C
G

2. What is the maximum value of the expression (1 + x)(1 − x) + (3 − y)(2 + y) where x

and y are real numbers?

3. What is the median value for x such that ⌊3x + 4⌋ = 1? Here ⌊x⌋ means the greatest
integer less than or equal to x.
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B. 5 mark questions

4. Let f : R → R be a function such that

(n − 2022)f (n) − f (2022 − n) = 2022

for all real numbers n. Find f (2022).

5. Adele and Bongi play a game. The game ends when either Adele or Bongi win two
consecutive rounds. The probability that Adele wins a round is 0.3, while the probability
that Bongi wins a round is 0.6. The probability that a round is drawn is 0.1. What is
the probability that neither is the winner after at most three games?

6. The following fraction is a rational number. Write it in its simplest form:

p √ p √
3+2 2− 3−2 2
p √ p √
8+2 7− 8−2 7

7. ABCD is a quadrilateral and this is divided into four smaller quadrilaterals with M as
a common vertex, and the areas are as indicated in the diagram. AP : P B = 2 : 1,
CQ : QB = 2 : 1, CR : RD = 2 : 1, and AS : SD = 2 : 1. Calculate the area X.

8 10
P

18
X
A D
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C. 6 mark questions

8. What is the sum of the integers k for which the expression below is also an integer?

(k 2 + 2k − 6)2
k+1

9. Eight consecutive 3-digit positive integers have the property that each of them is divisible
by their last digit. What is the smallest of these numbers?

10. P QRS is a parallelogram and T is the mid-point of QR. P T and SQ intersect at U .

What is the ratio of the area of SRT U to the area of P QRS?

P Q

S R
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D. Proof questions, 10 marks each

11. The numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . , 2n − 1, and 2n are arbitrarily divided into two groups with n
numbers each. The numbers in the first group are written in ascending order, denoted
by a1 , a2 , . . . , an , and the numbers in the second group are written in descending order,
denoted by b1 , b2 , . . . , bn . (So a1 < a2 < · · · < an and b1 > b2 > · · · > bn .)
Find, with proof the value of the following expression:

|a1 − b1 | + |a2 − b2 | + · · · + |an − bn |

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12. Let m be an
√ irrational number √
greater than 1 and n be an integer greater than 1. Prove
1 1
that (m + m − 1) n − (m − m2 − 1) n is an irrational number.
2